Method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving data using plurality of carriers in mobile communication system

ABSTRACT

The present specification discloses a mobile communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for transmitting and receiving data using a plurality of carriers in a mobile communication system.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a mobile communication system and,more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for transmitting andreceiving data by using a plurality of carriers in a mobilecommunication system.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, mobile communication systems have been developed to providecommunication while securing mobility of users. With the rapiddevelopment of technologies, the mobile communication systems havereached a stage of providing high-speed data communication services aswell as voice communication.

Currently, a standardization operation for a Long Term Evolution (LTE)system is being progressed as one of the next generation mobilecommunication systems by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).The LTE system corresponds to a technology, which implements high speedpacket-based communication having a maximum transmission rate of 100Mbps, which is faster than a data transmission rate currently provided,and its standardization has been almost completed.

Recently, discussion about an evolved LTE communication system (LTE-A),in which various new technologies are grafted into the LTE communicationsystem to increase a transmission rate, is progressed in earnest. Arepresentative of the newly introduced technologies may be carrieraggregation. The carrier aggregation uses a plurality of forwardcarriers and a plurality of backward carriers by one UE (User Equipment)unlike the conventional data transmission/reception using only oneforward carrier and one backward carrier by the UE.

The current LTE-A defines only intra-ENB (Evolved NodeB) carrieraggregation. This results in reducing an application possibility of acarrier aggregation function. Particularly, in a scenario overlappinglyoperating a plurality of pico cells and one micro cell, the macro celland the pico cells may not be aggregated.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical Problem

An embodiment of the present specification has been made to solve atleast some of the above problems, and an object of the presentspecification is to provide a method and an apparatus for inter-ENBcarrier aggregation.

Solution to Problem

For the above described purpose, in accordance with an aspect of thepresent invention, a method of transmitting/receiving data in a mobilecommunication system using a plurality of cells by a UE (User Equipment)is provided. The method includes: performing data communication with afirst serving cell through a first MAC (Medium Access Control);receiving a control message instructing to add a second serving cellfrom the first serving cell; setting a second MAC according to secondMAC configuration information included in the control message; andperforming data communication with the second serving cell through thesecond MAC.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a UE (UserEquipment) for performing communication by using a plurality of cellscontrolled by a plurality of ENBs (Evolved NodeBs) is provided. The UEincludes: a transceiver for performing data communication; and acontroller for performing data communication with a first serving cellthrough a first MAC (Medium Access Control), receiving a control messageinstructing to add a second serving cell from the first serving cell,setting a second MAC according to second MAC configuration informationincluded in the control message, and performing data communication withthe second serving cell through the second MAC.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to an embodiment of the present specification, it is possibleto increase a UE transmission/reception rate through carrier aggregationbetween different ENBs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a structure of an LTE system to which someembodiments of the present specification are applied;

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a wireless protocol structure in the LTEsystem to which some embodiments of the present specification areapplied;

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating intra-ENB carrier aggregation to whichsome embodiments of the present specification are applied;

FIG. 4 illustrates a carrier aggregation scheme according to anembodiment of the present specification;

FIG. 5 is a view schematically illustrating a general MAC, P-MAC, andS-MAC;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating the P-MAC and the S-MAC in more detail;

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a process for setting the S-MAC;

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a process for releasing the S-MAC;

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating an operation of the UE performing LCP;

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating an operation of the UE triggering anormal BSR;

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating an operation of the UE transmitting thenormal BSR;

FIG. 12 is a view illustrating all operations of the UE;

FIG. 13 is a view illustrating an operation of the UE when a number oftransmissions in a predetermined DRB reaches a maximum number of RLCretransmissions;

FIG. 14 is a view illustrating an operation of the UE when random accessfails;

FIG. 15 is a view illustrating an operation of the UE when a channelstatus of the serving cell remains in a level equal to or lower than apredetermined reference for a predetermined period or more;

FIG. 16 is a view illustrating a UE apparatus; and

FIG. 17 is a view illustrating an ENB apparatus.

MODE FOR THE INVENTION

In the following description, a detailed description of knownconfigurations or functions incorporated herein will be omitted when itis determined that the detailed description makes the subject matter ofthe present disclosure unclear.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to the description ofthe present specification, an LTE system and carrier aggregation will bebriefly described.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 illustrates a structure of an LTE system to which someembodiments of the present specification are applied.

Referring to FIG. 1, a radio access network of the LTE system includesone or more next generation Evolved Node Bs (hereinafter, referred to asENBs, Node Bs, or base stations) 105, 110, 115 and 120, an MME (MobilityManagement Entity) 125, and a S-GW (Serving-Gateway) 130. A UserEquipment (hereinafter, referred to as a UE or a terminal) 135 accessesan external network through the ENB 105, 110, 115, or 120 and the S-GW130.

In FIG. 1, the ENBs 105, 110, 115, and 120 correspond to the existingnode Bs of the UMTS system. The ENBs 105, 110, 115, and 120 areconnected to the UE 135 through radio channels and perform a morecomplex function compared to the existing node B. In the LTE system,since all user traffic including a real time service such as a VoIP(Voice over IP) through an Internet protocol are serviced through ashared channel, a device for collecting and scheduling statusinformation on buffer statuses of UEs 135, available transmission powerstatuses, and channel statuses is required, and the ENBs 105, 110, 115,and 120 serve as this device. One of the ENBs 105, 110, 115, and 120generally controls a plurality of cells. In order to implement atransmission rate of 100 Mbps, the LTE system uses an OrthogonalFrequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) as a wireless access technologyin a bandwidth of 20 MHz. Further, an Adaptive Modulation and Coding(hereinafter, referred to as an AMC) scheme for determining a modulationscheme and a channel coding rate is applied to the LTE system inaccordance with a channel status of the UE 135. The S-GW 130 is a devicefor providing a data bearer, and generates or removes the data bearerunder a control of the MME 125. The MME 125 is a device performingvarious types of control as well as a mobility management function, andis connected to the plurality of ENBs 105, 110, 115, and 120.

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a wireless protocol structure in the LTEsystem to which some embodiments of the present specification areapplied.

Referring to FIG. 2, the UE and the ENB include PDCPs (Packet DataConvergence Protocols) 205 and 240, RLCs (Radio Link Controls) 210 and235, Medium Access Controls (MACs) 215 and 230, respectively, in thewireless protocol of the LTE system. The PDCPs 205 and 240 perform anoperation for compressing/reconstructing an IP header, and the RLCs 210and 235 perform an ARQ operation by reconfiguring a PDCP PDU (PacketData Unit) to have a proper size. The MACs 215 and 230 are connectedwith various RLC layer devices included in one UE, and perform anoperation for multiplexing RLC PDUs to the MAC PDU and de-multiplexingthe RLC PDUs from the MAC PDU. The PHY layers 220 and 225 perform anoperation for channel-coding and modulating higher layer data togenerate an OFDM symbol and transmitting the OFDM symbol through a radiochannel or demodulating and channel-decoding the OFDM symbol receivedthrough the radio channel and transmitting the demodulated andchannel-decoded OFDM symbol to the higher layer.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating intra-ENB carrier aggregation to whichsome embodiments of the present specification are applied.

Referring to FIG. 3, one ENB generally transmits and receives multiplecarriers over several frequency bands. For example, when an ENB 305transmits a carrier 315 of a forward center frequency f1 and a carrier310 of a forward center frequency f3, one UE would transmit/receive databy using one of the two carriers in the prior art. However, the UEhaving a carrier aggregation capability can simultaneouslytransmit/receive data through a plurality of carriers. The ENB 305 mayallocate many more carriers to the UE 330 with the carrier aggregationcapability according to circumstances, thereby improving thetransmission rate of the UE 330. As described above, aggregation offorward carriers and backward carriers transmitted and received by oneENB refers to intra-ENB carrier aggregation. However, according to thecircumstances, it may be required to aggregate forward carriers andbackward carriers transmitted and received by different ENBs unlike theone ENB illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 illustrates a carrier aggregation scheme according to anembodiment of the present specification. More specifically, FIG. 4illustrates inter-ENB carrier aggregation as a carrier aggregationscheme.

Referring to FIG. 4, ENB #1 405 transmits/receives a carrier of a centerfrequency f1 and ENB #2 420 transmits/receives a carrier of a centerfrequency f2. At this time, aggregation (combination) of the carrier ofthe forward center frequency f1 and the carrier of the forward centerfrequency f2 by a UE 430 refers to aggregation of carrierstransmitted/received from two or more ENBs by one UE. In the presentspecification, the aggregation is named inter-ENB carrier aggregation(or inter-ENB CA).

The terms, which are frequently used in the present specification, willbe described below.

When one forward carrier transmitted by one ENB and one backward carrierreceived by the ENB configure one cell, a traditional meaning of carrieraggregation may be understood as the UE transmitting/receiving datathrough a plurality of cells at the same time. Accordingly, a maximumtransmission rate increases in proportion to the number of aggregatedcarriers.

In the following description of the present specification, receivingdata through a predetermined forward carrier or transmitting datathrough a predetermined backward carrier by the UE may have the samemeaning as transmitting/receiving data through a center frequency, whichcharacterizes the carrier, and a control channel and a data channel,which are provided by a cell corresponding to a frequency band. In thepresent specification, particularly, the carrier aggregation isexpressed by the phrase “a plurality of serving cells are set” and, withrespect to the serving cell, the terms a primary serving cell(hereinafter, reference to as a PCell) and a secondary serving cell(hereinafter, referred to as an SCell), or an activated serving cellwill be used. The terms have the meanings as they are used in the LTEmobile communication system. In the present invention, the termscarrier, component carrier, and serving cell are interchangeably used.

The present specification defines a set of serving cells controlled bythe same ENB as a CA group (Carrier Aggregation Group: CAG). A servingcell group is divided into a primary CA group (Primary CarrierAggregation Group: PCAG) and a secondary CA group (Secondary CarrierAggregation Group: SCAG). The PCAG refers to a set of serving cellscontrolled by an ENB that controls the PCell (hereinafter, referred toas a master ENB: MeNB) and the SCAG refers to a set of serving cellscontrolled by an ENB, which is not the ENB controlling the PCell, thatis, an ENB that controls only SCells (hereinafter, referred to as aslave ENB: SeNB). Whether a predetermined serving cell belongs to thePCAG or the SCAG is determined by the ENB during a process of settingthe corresponding serving cell. One PCAG or one or more SCAGs may be setto one UE. The present invention considers only a case where one SCAG isset for convenience of the description. However, even if one or moreSCAGs are set, the content of the present invention can be appliedwithout any omissions or rewrites. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, when ENB#1 405 corresponds to the MeNB and ENB #2 415 corresponds to the SeNB, aserving cell 410 of the center frequency f1 is the serving cellbelonging to the PCAG and a serving cell 420 of the center frequency f2is the serving cell belonging to the SCAG.

In the following description, other terms may replace the PCAG and theSCAG for understanding. For example, with respect to the PCAG and theSCAG, a primary set and a secondary set may be used, respectively, or aprimary carrier group or a secondary carrier group may be used,respectively. However, in this case, it should be noted that themeanings are equal even though the terms are different. A main purposeof the terms is to distinguish whether any cell is controlled by an ENBthat controls the PCell of a particular UE or controlled by an ENB thatcontrols the Scell of the particular UE. Operation types of the UE andthe corresponding cell may vary depending on a case where the cell iscontrolled by the ENB that controls the PCell of the particular UE and acase where the cell is controlled by the ENB that controls the PCell.

Since schedulers are provided in the unit of ENBs, it is not easy toperform scheduling such that transmission resources of a plurality ofENBs do not overlap each other in real time. Accordingly, the UE towhich one or more CAGs are set is controlled by one or more schedulers.Further, different ENBs independently perform various MAC-relatedoperations. Accordingly, the UE distinguishes serving cells set to theUE according to each CAG and performs differentiated operationsaccording to the CAGs.

As the carrier aggregation is introduced, one UE transmits/receives datathrough a plurality of serving cells. At this time, the UE includes oneMAC device and relays between logical channels set to the UE and servingcells in an active state through the MAC device. In other words, whenthe MAC device receives a downlink MAC PDU from a predetermined servingcell, the MAC device performs an operation for de-multiplexing the MACSDU from the MAC PUD and transferring the MAC SDU to a proper logicalchannel among all logical channels set to the UE, or multiplexing theMAC SDUs transmitted through the logical channels to generate the MACPDU and then transmitting the MAC PDU through a proper serving cellamong all serving cells currently in an active state.

When serving cells aggregated by the UE are controlled by different ENBsrather than the same ENB, that is, in an inter-ENB CA state, it is moreefficient for the UE to include a plurality of MAC devices. This isbecause, when one MAC device is used, whenever the MAC PDU is receivedor transmitted, the UE should identify the ENB, which controls theserving cell from which the MAC PDU is received or the ENB, whichcontrols the serving cell to which the MAC PDU should be transmitted,and then performs the following operations, which are complicated.

In a setting of a new serving cell by the UE according to an instructionof the ENB, the present invention proposes a method and an apparatus forgenerating and operating a secondary MAC device (or S-MAC) if theserving cell is a serving cell controlled by an ENB different from thecurrent ENB.

FIG. 5 is a view schematically illustrating general MAC, P-MAC, andS-MAC.

When carriers are not aggregated or only serving cells controlled by thesame ENB are set, the UE includes one MAC device 505 and the MAC device505 connects logical channels set to the UE and cells in an active stateamong the serving cells set to the UE. For example, when logical channel#1, logical channel #3, logical channel #4, and logical channel #5 areset to the UE and serving cell #0, serving cell #1, and serving cell #2are set to the UE, if serving cell #0 and serving cell #2 are in theactive state, the MAC device 505 may connect (relay or map) logicalchannel #1, logical channel #3, logical channel #4, and logical channel#5, and serving cell #0 and serving cell #2. Among the logical channels,LCH #1 corresponds to a DCCH (Dedicate Control Channel) and theremaining logical channels correspond to DTCHs (Dedicate TrafficChannels). The DCCH is mapped with an SRB (Signaling Radio Bearer), andthe DTCH is mapped with a DRB (Data Radio Bearer).

At a predetermined time point, serving cell #2 and serving cell #3 areremoved and serving cell #4 and serving cell #5 are newly set. Whenserving cell #0 is controlled by the MeNB and serving cell #4 andserving cell #5 are controlled by the SeNB, the UE additionally sets theS-MAC according to an instruction of the ENB. A control message forsetting serving cell #4 and serving cell #5 is transmitted to the UEfrom the SeNB in the form of an RRC message. The control message mayinclude information indicating whether the S-MAC is generated,information indicating which logical channel among the logical channelsset to the UE is connected to the S-MAC, and information indicatingwhich serving cell is connected to the S-MAC.

For example, when the UE receives, from the ENB, an instruction toconnect logical channel #3, logical channel #4, logical channel #5,serving cell #4, and serving cell #5 with the S-MAC, the UE sets servingcell #4 and serving cell #4 and generates an S-MAC 515, and thenconnects the logical channels with the serving cells. That is, the MACdevice is reset as a P-MAC 510 to connect logical channel #1 and servingcell #0, and the S-MAC 515 is set to connect logical channel #3, logicalchannel #4, logical channel #5, serving cell #4, and serving cell #5.

The connection between the MAC and a predetermined serving cell may beunderstood as the connection between a physical layer of the servingcell or a transport channel of the serving cell and the MAC. The MACtransmits/receives data through the connected physical layer ortransport channel of the serving cell.

Information indicating whether the S-MAC is generated may have variousforms. For example, when explicit S-MAC setting information is included,it may be determined that the generation of the S-MAC is instructed.Alternatively, when SCAG setting information is included, it may bedetermined that the generation of the S-MAC is instructed.Alternatively, when a new serving cell belonging to the SCAG is set tothe UE to which only the PCAG serving cell is set, it may be determinedthat the generation of the S-MAC is instructed.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, instead of thedirect connection between the serving cell and the related MAC asdescribed above, the MAC operation may be more simplified by setting arelay device 530 between the MAC and the physical layer or the MAC andthe transport channel. As described above, when a separate relay deviceis provided, with respect to a predetermined transport channel orscheduling assignment, the P-MAC and the S-MAC may operate regardless ofthe serving cell of the transport channel or the serving cell from whichthe scheduling assignment is received. The scheduling assignment isscheduling-related control information transmitted/received through aforward control channel (Physical Downlink Control Channel: PDCCH), andcorresponds to forward assignment including control information relatedto forward data reception (forward transmission resources, transportformats, and the like) and backward grant including control informationrelated to backward data transmission (backward transmission resources,transport formats, and the like). Hereinafter, in the presentspecification, the terms forward and downlink are exchangeably used andthe terms backward and uplink are exchangeably used.

For convenience of the description, the MAC device is divided asfollows.

-   -   General MAC device: corresponds to an MAC device set when        carrier aggregation is not set or when the carrier aggregation        is set but all of set serving cells are controlled by one ENB        (or when the SCAG is not set).    -   Primary MAC device (P-MAC): corresponds to an MAC device        connected to serving cells controlled by the MeNB when one or        more MAC devices are set to the UE (that is, when one or more        serving cells are set to the UE and the serving cells are        controlled by one or more ENBs).    -   Secondary MAC device (S-MAC): corresponds to an MAC device        connected to serving cells controlled by the SeNB when one or        more MAC devices are set to the UE (that is, when one or more        serving cells are set to the UE and the serving cells are        controlled by one or more ENBs).

The general MAC device connects all logical channels set to the UE andserving cells in the active state among all serving cells set to the UE.

The secondary MAC device connects a predetermined logical channel amongthe logical channels set to the UE and predetermined serving cells amongall the serving cells set to the UE. The predetermined serving cells areserving cells controlled by the SeNB and are explicitly indicated by anRRC control message. The predetermined logical channels are logicalchannels explicitly indicated by an RRC control message.

The primary MAC device connects another predetermined logical channelamong the logical channels set to the UE and some other serving cellsamong all the serving cells set to the UE. Some other serving cells areserving cells controlled by the MeNB and correspond to the remainingserving cells except for the serving cell explicitly indicated by theRRC control message. Some serving cells, for example, the PCell, arealways connected to the primary MAC device. The other predeterminedlogical channels correspond to the remaining logical channel except forthe logical channel explicitly indicated by the RRC control message.Further, some logical channels, for example, the DCCH, are alwaysconnected to the primary MAC device.

The connection between predetermined logical channels and predeterminedserving cells (or transport channels mapped with the serving cells)means that data received through the serving cells is always transferredto the logical channels and data generated in the logical channels isalways transmitted through the serving cells.

The serving cells may include downlink and uplink, and the downlink maybe expressed as a DL-SCH (Downlink Shared Channel) and the uplink may beexpressed as a UL-SCH (Uplink Shared Channel). Accordingly, for example,an arrow 520 expressing the uplink of serving cell #0 indicates theUL-SCH of serving cell #0, and an arrow 525 expressing the downlink ofserving cell #5 indicates the DL-SCH of serving cell #5.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating the P-MAC and the S-MAC in more detail.

The logical channel is a logical channel between the MAC and an RLClayer device, and the transport channel is a channel between the MAC andthe PHY. The logical channel specifies the RLC device which the MAC SDUis received from and the RLC device which the MAC SDU should betransmitted to, which is determined according to characteristics of thedata. The transport channel is a channel defined according to how datashould be processed in wireless radio.

Types of the logical channel include a PCCH (Paging Control Channel bywhich a paging message is received), an MCCH (Multicast Control Channelby which control information related to an MBMS service is received), anMTCH (Multicast Traffic Channel by which traffic related to the MBMSservice is received), a BCCH (Broadcast Control Channel by which systeminformation is received), a CCCH (Common Control Channel by which an RRCcontrol message is transmitted/received before an RRC connection isconfigured and, more specifically, an RRC CONNECTION REQUEST, an RRCCONNECTION REESTABLISHMENT REQUEST, an RRC CONNECTION REESTABLISHMENTmessage are transmitted/received), a DCCH (Dedicate Control Channel bywhich a general RRC control message is transmitted/received), and a DTCH(Dedicate Traffic Channel by which user traffic istransmitted/received).

Types of the transport channel include a BCH (Broadcast Channel by whicha master information block of system information is received), a DL-SCH(Downlink Shared Channel by which general data is received, and oneDL-SCH corresponds to downlink of one serving cell), a PCH (PagingChannel by which a paging message is received), a UL-SCH (Uplink SharedChannel by which general data is transmitted, and one UL-SCH correspondto uplink of one serving cell), an RACH (Random Access Channel by whichrandom access preamble is transmitted), and an MCH (Mulitcast Channel bywhich MBMS control information and data are received).

All the types of transport channel and all the types of logical channelare connected through a P-MAC 605, and a predetermined transport channeland a predetermined logical channel are connected through an S-MAC 610.

The P-MAC 605 connects a PCH 615 with the PCCH, and the PCH 615corresponds to a PCH of the PCell. The P-MAC 605 connects an MCH 620with the MCCH and the MTCH, and the MCH 620 may be received from allserving cells belonging to the PCAG including the PCell. The P-MAC 605connects a BCH 625 and the BCCH, and the BCH 630 corresponds to a BCH ofthe PCell. The P-MAC 605 connects one or more DL-SCHs 630 with the BCCH,CCCH, DCCH, or DTCH. The DL-SCH 630 connected with the BCCH and the CCCHcorresponds to a DL-SCH of the PCell. The DCCH or the DTCH are connectedto the DL-SCHs 630 of all serving cells belonging to the PCAG. The P-MAC650 connects one or more UL-SCHs 635 with the CCCH, DCCH, or DTCH. TheUL-SCH 635 connected with the CCCH corresponds to a UL-SCH of the PCell.The DCCH or the DTCH are connected to the UL-SCHs 635 of all servingcells belonging to the PCAG. The P-MAC 605 transmits a random accesspreamble through an RACH. At this time, the RACH is an RACH of theserving cell belonging to the PCAG. The DTCH 640 connected to the P-MAC605 may be a part of the DTCHs set to the UE, and the DTCH, which shouldbe connected to the P-MAC 605, is indicated through the RRC controlmessage. Hereinafter, for convenience of the description, the DTCH 640connected to the P-MAC 605 is named a P-MAC DTCH or a P-MAC DRB.

The S-MAC 610 connects one or more DL-SCHs 650 with the DTCH. TheDL-SCHs 650 correspond to DL-SCHs of the serving cells belonging to theSCAG. The S-MAC 610 connects one or more UL-SCHs 655 with the DTCH. TheUL-SCHs 655 correspond to UL-SCHs of the serving cells belonging to theSCAG. The S-MAC 610 may transmit a random access preamble through anRACH. The RACH is an RACH of the serving cell belonging to the SCAG. TheDTCH 645 connected to the S-MAC 610 may be a part of all the DTCHs setto the UE, and the DTCH, which should be connected to the S-MAC 610, isindicated through the RRC control message. Hereinafter, for convenienceof the description, the DTCH 645 connected to the S-MAC 610 is named anS-MAC DTCH or an S-MAC DRB.

A multiplexing/de-multiplexing device multiplexes the MAC SDU to the MACPDU or de-multiplexes the MAC SDU from the MAC PDU by using an LCID ofan MAC header. When backward transmission resources are allocated to theUL-SCH 635 connected to the P-MAC 605 (or when backward grant for thePCAG serving cell can be used), a logical channel prioritization device660 of the P-MAC 605 determines which data will be transmitted betweendata generated by the CCCH, DCCH, and DTCH 640 connected to the P-MAC605 and MAC CEs (Control Elements) generated by a control device 670 ofP-TAG.

When backward transmission resources are allocated to the UL-SCH 655connected to the S-MAC 610 (or when backward grant for the SCAG servingcell can be used), a logical channel prioritization device 665 of theS-MAC 610 determines which data will be transmitted between datagenerated by the DTCH 645 connected to the S-MAC 610 and MAC CEsgenerated by an S-MAC control device 675. The MAC CE (Control Element)is a control message generated and processed by the MAC layer, andmainly corresponds to control information related to an MAC function,for example, a buffer status report. The standard 36.322 explains theMAC CE in detail.

A joint controller 680 corresponds to a device that makes a control whencooperation between the P-MAC 605 and the S-MAC 610 is needed or anoperation should be performed in consideration of states of both theP-MAC 605 and the S-MAC 610.

Mapping between the logical channel and the transport channel will bedescribed below in more detail and the P-MAC and the S-MAC support themapping as shown in Table 6 below.

TABLE 6 Available mapping P-MAC S-MAC Mapping between Support allSupport MTCH/MCCH and MCH available mappings or no support according toconfiguration of UE Mapping between Support PCCH and PCH Mapping betweenno support BCCH and BCH Mapping between Support BCCH and DL-SCH Mappingbetween no support DTCH and DL-SCH Mapping between DCCH and DL-SCHMapping between CCCH and UL-SCH Mapping between DTCH and UL-SCH Mappingbetween DCCH and UL-SCH Mapping between CCCH and UL-SCH

As shown in Table 6, while the P-MAC support all available mappingcombinations, the S-MAC supports at least two of mapping between theDTCH and the DL-SCH, mapping between the DTCH and the UL-SCH, mappingbetween the MTCH/MCCH and the MCH, mapping between the PCCH and the PCH,mapping between the BCCH and the BCH, and mapping between the BCCH andthe DL-SCH and does not support mapping between the CCCH and the DL-SCHand mapping between the CCCH and the UL-SCH.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a process for setting the S-MAC.

In a mobile communication system including a UE 705, an MeNB 710, and anSeNB 715, cell 1 and cell 2 are controlled by the MeNB 710 and cell 3and cell 4 are controlled by the SeNB 715. The PCell of the UE 705corresponds to cell 1, and two EPS bearers are set to the UE 705. EPSbearer 1 has a DRB identification (hereinafter, referred to as a DRB id)of 10 and a logical channel identification (hereinafter, referred to asa LCH id) of 4, and provides a real time service sensitive to a delay,for example, a VoIP service. EPS bearer 2 has a DRB id of 11 and an LCHid of 5, and provides a service including transmission/reception of alarge amount of data, for example, a file download service.

The UE 705 transmits/receives data of DRB 10 and DRB 11 through thePCell in step 720. The SRB is also set to the UE 705, and the UE 705transmits/receives data of the SRB through the PCell. The EPS (EnhancedPacket System) bearer corresponds to a bearer mapped with the DRB, andmay be understood as a higher layer than the DRB and formed between theUE 705 and a gateway of the LTE network.

The MeNB 710 instructs the UE to measure cell 3 or cell 4 toadditionally set the serving cell in step 725. The UE 705 havingmeasured the instructed cell inserts a measurement result into apredetermined RRC control message to report the result to the MeNB 710when channel quality of the cell meets a predetermined condition in step730. The MeNB 710 may instruct a frequency to be measured, instead ofdirectly instructing the cell to be measured. That is, the MeNB 710 mayinstruct the UE 705 to measure the frequency of cell 3 or cell 4 in step725. A measurement result report is inserted into a predetermined RRCcontrol message and transmitted. A predetermined condition fortriggering the measurement result report may include, for example, acondition where channel quality of a neighboring cell of the frequencyinstructed to be measured remains in a state better than a predeterminedreference for a predetermined period or a condition where channelquality of a neighboring cell of the frequency instructed to be measuredremains in a state better than the channel quality of the PCell by apredetermined reference or more for a predetermined period.

The MeNB 710 determines to add the cell of the SeNB 715 to the SCellbased on the measurement result report transmitted by the UE 705 in step740, and determine to transmit/receive data of EPS bearer 2 in the addedSCell in step 743.

The MeNB 710 transmits a control message making a request for adding theSCell to the SeNB 715 in step 745. At least some of the information inTable 1 may be included in the control message.

TABLE 1 Name Description SCell candidate SCell candidate informationinformation corresponds to identifications of cells, which can be set asSCells among the cells of the SeNB and a measurement result of thecells. The SeNB may determine the cell to be set as the SCell inconsideration of the measurement result and load states of the cells.When forward propagation arrival areas (coverage) of cells controlled byone ENB are similar, the SeNB may set a cell, which is not an SCellcandidate cell proposed by the MeNB, as the SCell. TAG id informationTAG id information is information related to an identification of a TAGto be set in the SeNB. TAG id information is determined by the MeNB toprevent an identification, which has been already used by the MeNB, frombeing reused, and is informed of to the SeNB. The TAG (Timing AdvanceGroup) is a set of serving cells having the same backward transmissiontiming and is described in the standards 36.321 and 36.331. Bearerinformation to Bearer information to be offloaded be offloaded isinformation related to an EPS bearer to be offloaded to the SeNB (or tobe offloaded to the SCAG serving cell). Bearer information to beoffloaded includes required QoS information, EPS bearer identificationinformation, PDCP configuration information, RLC configurationinformation, a DRB id, and LCH information. The bearer offloaded to theSeNB is the S-MAC DRB from a viewpoint of the UE. The LCH informationincludes an LCH id. The RLC configuration information is defined inRLC-config of TS36.331, the PDCP configuration information is defined inPDCP-config, and the LCH information is defined in logicalChannelConfig.Paging consent control- Paging consent control- related informationrelated information is information provided by the MeNB to allow theSeNB to determine whether to accept or reject an SCell addition request.For example, Paging consent control- related information corresponds toa required transmission rate, an expected uplink data amount, and anexpected downlink data amount. GTP Tunnel information GTP Tunnelinformation is GTP Tunnel information to be used for backward dataforwarding.

The SeNB 715 performs a paging consent control. When the SeNB 715determines to accept an SCell addition request, the SeNB 715 determinesa cell to which the SCell is set, sets the SCell to the determined cell,and set a DRB for the bearer to be offloaded. The SeNB 715 minimizesinfluence on the S-MAC DRB by reusing the LCH id which has been used bythe MeNB 710. For example, the SeNB 715 allocates 5 to the LCH id whensetting the DRB for EPS bearer 2.

The SeNB 715 applies the value, which has been used by the MeNB 710,without any change when allocating the DRB id of the S-MAC DRB. This isbecause, when a new DRB id is allocated to the S-MAC DRB, the UE 705should perform an operation for discarding data currently stored in theDRB buffer or transferring the data to a higher layer based on thedetermination that the new DRB is set.

When setting a PDCP device and an RLC device of the S-MAC DRB, the SeNB715 applies the PDCP setting and the RLC setting, which have been usedby the MeNB 710, without any change. This is because, when anothersetting is used, the UE 705 should release the currently used DRB andthen re-configure the DRB according to the new setting, which results inthe harmful operation described above. The SeNB 715 re-configures thePDCP device and the RLC device of the S-MAC DRB and transmits a controlmessage for accepting the SCell addition to the MeNB 710 in step 750. Atleast some of the information in Table 2 may be included in the controlmessage.

TABLE 2 Name Description SCellToAddMod SCellToAddMod is informationrelated to SCells set to the SeNB, that is, SCells of the SCAG (forexample, cell 3 and cell 4) and include the following information.sCellIndex- r10, cellIdentification-r10, radioResourceConfigCommonSCell-r10, radioResourceConfigDedicated SCell-r10, TAG-related information;PUCCH configuration A PUCCH (Physical information on PUCCH SCell UplinkControl Channel) is set to at least one of the SCells belonging to theSCAG. Backward control information such as HARQ feedback, CSI (higherconcept of Channel Status Information or Channel Quality Indicator), oran SR (Scheduling Request) is transmitted through the PUCCH.Hereinafter, the SCell in which the PUCCH is transmitted is referred toas a PUCCH SCell. PUCCH SCell identification information and PUCCHconfiguration information correspond to lower information of theinformation. GTP Tunnel information GTP Tunnel information is GTP Tunnelinformation to be used for forward data forwarding. UE identificationThe UE identification is a C-RNTI to be used by the SCell of anon-primary set. Hereinafter, the UE identification is referred to as aC-RNTI_SeNB. Bearer configuration Bearer configuration informationinformation is configuration information on a bearer to be offloaded.The Bearer configuration information includes a list of bearers, whichare accepted to be offloaded, and configuration information on eachbearer. When the bearer configuration is the same, only information onthe list of the bearers, which are accepted, may be included. MACconfiguration MAC configuration information information is variouspieces of MAC configuration information to be applied to the SCAGserving cell. For example, the MAC configuration information includesDRX-related information, PHR configuration information, and BSRconfiguration information. The information is transmitted to the UE inthe future as the S-MAC configuration information. If the information isidentical to the existing MAC configuration information, the informationmay be omitted.

When the MeNB 710 receives the control message, the MeNB 710 generatesthe RRC control message for instructing to the UE 705 to add the servingcell and transmits the RRC control message to the UE 705 in step 755. Atleast some of the information in Table 3 may be included in the RRCcontrol message. The MeNB 710 stops transmitting/receiving data of theS-MAC DRB.

TABLE 3

SCellAddMod SCellAddMod includes information transmitted by the SeNB.That, SCellAddMod is the same as SCellAddMod in Table 2. One SCellAddModis included per SCell, and the information is lower information ofSCellAddModList. PUCCH configuration PUCCH configuration information onPUCCH SCell information on PUCCH SCell includes information transmittedby the SeNB. That is, the PUCCH configuration information on PUCCH SCellis the same as the PUCCH information for PUCCH SCell in Table 2. SCAGinformation SCAG information is information on SCells belonging to theSCAG among set SCells (or information on SCells connected to the S-MAC).The SCAG information may be identifications of the SCells oridentifications of TAGs included in the SCAG. UE identification UEidentification is a C-RNTI to be used by the UE in the SCAG servingcell. Hereinafter, the UE identification is referred to as C-RNTI_SeNBOffload bearer Offload bearer information information is informationrelated to a bearer to be processed by the SeNB (That is, S-MAC DRB).The offload bearer information is information related to a bearer to betransmitted/received through the SCAG serving cells (or bearer to beconnected to the S-MAC) and includes a bearer list and bearerconfiguration information. When the bearer configuration is the same,the bear configuration information may be omitted. A beareridentification in the bearer list may be an identification of the EPSbearer, a DRB id, or an LCH id. When the bear identification is the DRBid, for example, 11 is signaled. S-MAC configuration S-MAC configurationinformation information is various pieces of MAC configurationinformation related to a non-primary set serving cell. For example, theS- MAC configuration information includes DRX- related information, PHRconfiguration information, and BSR configuration information. When theS-MAC configuration information is identical to the current MACconfiguration information, the S-MAC configuration information may beomitted. The UE sets the DRX, PHR, and BSR of the S-MAC by using the MACconfiguration information.

When the UE 705 receives an RRC connection reconfiguration controlmessage, the UE 705 sequentially performs the following operations byusing various pieces of information included in the control message.

-   -   Initiate to use (or generate) an S-MAC    -   Stop transmitting data of an S-MAC DRB    -   Reconfigure a PDCP of a DRB which meets condition 1 among S-MAC        DRBs    -   Reconfigure an RLC of the DRB which meets condition 1 among the        S-MAC DRBs    -   Connect the S-MAC DRB and the S-MAC    -   Connect a DL-SCH of the SCAG and the S-MAC    -   Connect a UL-SCH of the SCAG and the S-MAC    -   Trigger random access by the S-MAC

The DRB, which meets condition 1, is a DRB in which“statusReportRequired” is set as yes in an RLC AM (Acknowledged Mode).“statusReportRequired” is configuration information included inPDCP-config. When the information is set as yes, the UE 705 indicatesthe DRB, which triggers the PDCP status report, after a handover inorder to perform a lossless handover. In the present invention, the DRBtriggers the PDCP status report when the DRB changes a connection fromthe general MAC to the S-MAC as well as a case of the handover.

The UE 705 reconfigures the P-MAC as follows.

-   -   Release a connection between the S-MAC DRB and the P-MAC    -   Release a connection between the DL-SCH of the SCAG and the        P-MAC    -   Release a connection between the UL-SCH of the SCAG and the        P-MAC    -   Flush an HARQ buffer, which stores an MAC PDU including S-MAC        DRB data, among uplink HARQ buffers of the PCAG serving cell        (flush: discard the content of the buffer).    -   Discard the BSR and the PHR, which have not been transmitted        yet, and then generate a new BSR and PHR in consideration of        P-MAC configuration.

Operations related to the S-MAC and operations related to the P-MAC maybe performed simultaneously or sequentially.

The UE 705 establishes forward synchronization with the PUCCH SCell andthen performs random access in the PUCCH SCell in step 760. Morespecifically, the UE 705 transmits the random access preamble by usingpredetermined frequency resources during a predetermined time intervalof the PUCCH SCell, and attempts to receive a random access responsemessage during a predetermined time interval defined based on the timepoint when the preamble is transmitted. When an effective random accessresponse message is received, the UE 705 analyzes a backwardtransmission timing advance command of the message to adjust thebackward transmission timing. Further, the UE 705 generates an MAC PDUto be transmitted to the PUCCH SCell by using backward transmissionresources indicated by backward grant information of the message. Whenthe backward grant is received through the random access responsemessage, the UE 705 triggers the BSR in the S-MAC. The MAC PDU includesa C-RNTI MAC CE and a BSR MAC CE, and a C-RNTI_SENB is specified in theC-RNTI MAC CE. The BSR MAC CE includes buffer status informationindicating an amount of data, which can be transmitted, stored in theS-ENB DRM. The C-RNTI MAC CE and the BSR MAC CE are defined in 6.1.3 ofTS 36.321.

The UE 705 inspects whether the PDCCH indicating initial transmission,which is addressed to the C-RNTI_(—)SENB, is received in the PUCCHSCell. When the PDCCH, which meets the condition, is received within apredetermined period, the UE 705 determines that the random access issuccessfully completed and resumes S-MAC DRB data transmission.

At this time, with respect to DRBs, which meet condition 1, among theS-MAC DRBs, the UE 705 generates the PDCP status report and transmitsthe generated PDCP status report to first data of the corresponding DRB.

Thereafter, the UE 705 connects DRB 11 with SCell 3 and SCell 4 (thatis, SCAG serving cell) through the S-MAC. That is, data of DRB 11 istransmitted/received through SCell 3 and SCell 4 in step 765. The UE 705connects DRB 10 and the SRB with the PCell (that is, PCAG serving cell)through the P-MAC. That is, data of DRB 10 and the SRB istransmitted/received through the PCell in step 770. In addition to theDCCH and the DTCH, the P-MAC connects other logical channels, forexample, the PCCH, BCCH, MCCH, and MTCH with a proper transport channel.

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a process for releasing the S-MAC. Thatis, FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation for releasing theSCell and transmitting/receiving data according to an embodiment of thepresent specification.

The UE 705 report a measurement result indicating that channel qualityof the SCAG serving cell is equal to or lower than a predeterminedreference to the MeNB 710 at a predetermined time point in step 805.When channel quality of some of the SCAG serving cells, for example, thePUCCH SCell is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference, theMeNB 710 may determine to release all the SCAG serving cells in step807.

The MeNB 710 transmits a control message making a request for releasingthe SCell of the UE 705 to the SeNB 715 in step 810. The SeNB 715 havingreceived the control message performs the following operations in step813.

-   -   Release only some of the SCAG serving cells. If the released        serving cell does not include the PUCCH SCell;        -   Transmit a predetermined MAC CE (Activation/Deactivation MAC            CE, refer to TS 36.321) and deactivate the released SCells.    -   Release the SCell instructed to be released.    -   Release only some of the SCAG serving cells. However, if the        released serving cell includes the PUCCH SCell (that is, there        is no PUCCH SCell when the SCell is released) or all the SCAG        serving cells are released;    -   Transmit a predetermined MAC CE (hereinafter, referred to as a        first MAC CE) to deactivate the SCells and prevent backward        transmission of the PUCCH SCell.    -   Release all SCAG serving cells.    -   Stop transmitting/receiving S-MAC DRB data.    -   Reestablish the RLC device and the PDCP device of the S-MAC DRB.    -   Proceeds to step 845 and transmit SN status information.

The first MAC CE includes only an MAC sub header without payload, andinstructs the UE 705 to perform the following operations.

-   -   Deactivate the remaining serving cells except for the PUCCH        SCell among SCAG serving cells currently in an active state    -   Prevent backward transmission of the PUCCH SCell (for example,        transmission of a channel quality indicator, a scheduling        request, or a random access preamble)

The SeNB 715 transmits a control message for consenting to the releaseof the SCell to the MeNB 710 in step 815.

The MeNB 710 transmits a control message indicating the release of theSCell to the UE 705 in step 820. The control message includesidentification information on the SCell to be released. The UE 705having received the control message performs the following operations.

-   -   Release only some of the SCAG serving cells. If the released        serving cell does not include the PUCCH SCell;    -   Release the SCell instructed to be released    -   Maintain transmitting/receiving S-MAC DRB data    -   Release only some of the SCAG serving cells. However, if the        released serving cell includes the PUCCH SCell (that is, there        is no PUCCH SCell when the SCell is released) or all the SCAG        serving cells are released;    -   Release all SCAG serving cells in step 825    -   Stop transmitting/receiving S-MAC DRB data    -   Stop using (or remove) the S-MAC    -   Reconfigure a PDCP of a DRB which meets condition 1 among S-MAC        DRBs in step 830    -   Reconfigure an RLC of the DRB which meets condition 1 among the        S-MAC DRBs in step 830    -   Configure connection between the S-MAC DRB and the P-MAC    -   Resume transmitting/receiving S-MAC DRB data in step 835    -   Generate a PDCP STATUS REPORT for the DRB which meets condition        1 among the S-MAC DRBs in step 840

Thereafter, the UE 705 transmits/receives the S-MAC DRB data through theP-MAC and the PCAG serving cell (for example, PCell) in step 855. TheSeNB 715 transmits an SN status information message to the MeNB 710 andforwards data in step 850. The MeNB 710 performs S-MAC DRBtransmission/reception with the UE 705 by using the forwarded data. TheSN status information message may include at least some of theinformation on the S-MAC DRB, which meets condition 1, in Table 4 below.

TABLE 4 Name Description UL PDCP PDU reception UL PDCP PDU receptionstatus information status information corresponds to a bitmap in apredetermined size. An nth bit indicates a reception status of a PDCPSDU having a PDCP SN of m. m = (PDCP SN of first non-received PDCP SDU +n) modulo (Max PDCP SN + 1) UL COUNT A UL COUNT corresponds to a countof the first non- received PDCP SDU. The count is a 32-bit integer andincreases by 1 per PDCP SDU. The COUNT is a value made from an HFN andthe PDCP SN which are connected to each other. DL COUNT A DL COUNT is acount to be assigned to a first PDCP SDU among the PDCP SDUs to whichthe PDCP SNs have not been yet allocated.

The PDCP STATUS REPORT is a control message exchanged between PDCPtransmission and reception devices in order to prevent a packet losswhen the RLC cannot temporarily perform the ARQ due to reconfigurationof the RLC device. The PDCP STATUS REPORT includes a FMS (First MissingSequence) and a bitmap and is described in the standard 36.323 indetail.

The MeNB 710 and the SeNB 715 forward data as follows in step 850.

-   -   forward data: transmits PDCP SDUs, of which successful        transmission is not certain, among PDCP SDUs stored in the        buffer.    -   Forward PDCP SDUs, to which the PDCP SNs have been already        allocated, with PDCP SN information allocated to a GTP header.    -   Forward PDCP SDUs, to which the PDCP SNs have yet allocated,        with no PDCP SN information in the GTP header.    -   Backward data    -   Forward PDCP SDUs which have been successfully received but not        sequentially arranged. At this time, PDCP SN information is        included in the GTP header.

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating an operation of the UE performing LCP.That is, FIG. 9 illustrates an operation for determining data to betransmitted by the UE having received the backward grant. The operationis referred to as LCP (Logical Channel Prioritization).

When the backward grant is received in step 905, the UE proceeds to step907 and inspects whether the backward grant indicates initialtransmission. Whether the backward grant indicates initial transmissionis determined using a field of an NDI (New Data Indicator). When the NDIis identical to a previous value, it is for retransmission. When the NDIis different from the previous value, it is for the initialtransmission. The UE proceeds to step 910 when the received grant is forthe initial transmission, and proceeds to step 935 when the receivedgrant is for the retransmission.

In step 935, the UE performs the retransmission by applying backwardtransmission resources and an RV (Redundancy Version) indicated by thegrant. The UE inspects whether the S-MAC is set, the S-MAC is beingused, or the SCAG is set in step 910 and, if so, proceeds step 920. Whenthe S-MAC is not set (or the S-MAC is not being used or the SCAG is notset), the UE proceeds to step 915. In the present specification, whetherthe S-MAC is set, whether the S-MAC is used, and whether the SCAG is setare all equivalence conditions.

In step 915, the UE performs the LCP on a first data set. In the firstdata set below, pieces of data are arranged according to a priority.

-   -   CCCH SDU, C-RNTI MAC CE    -   Buffer Status Report (except for Padding BSR)    -   Power Headroom Report    -   DCCH data    -   DTCH data    -   Padding BSR

In step 920, the UE inspects whether the serving cell in which thebackward grant is received (or serving cell to which backwardtransmission resources are allocated through the backward grant) is theserving cell of the PCAG or the SCAG. The UE proceeds to step 925 whenthe serving cell is the serving cell of the PCAG, and proceeds to step930 when the serving cell is the serving cell of the SCAG.

In step 925, the UE performs the LCP on a second data set. In the seconddata set below, pieces of data are arranged according to a priority.

-   -   C-RNTI MAC CE generated in P-MAC    -   Buffer Status Report (except for Padding BSR) generated in P-MAC    -   Power Headroom Report generated in P-MAC    -   DCCH data    -   Remaining DTCH data except for S-MAC DTCH    -   Padding BSR generated in P-MAC

In step 930, the UE performs the LCP on a third data set. In the thirddata set below, pieces of data are arranged according to a priority.

-   -   C-RNTI MAC CE generated in S-MAC    -   Buffer Status Report (except for Padding BSR) generated in S-MAC    -   Power Headroom Report generated in S-MAC    -   S-MAC DTCH data    -   Padding BSR generated in S-MAC

The LCP refers to a process for, when backward grant through which newtransmission of n-byte data can be performed is received, selecting datato be included in the MAC PDU to be transmitted using the grant.

Performing the LCP on a predetermined data set refers to sequentiallyperforming operations for inspecting whether highest priority dataexists among data included in the data set, first selecting the highestpriority data when the data exists, and inspecting whether the nextpriority data exists and determining whether to select the data. Thepriority is unilinearly applied to the remaining data except for theDTCH data. That is, when higher priority data exits, lower priority datacannot be transmitted. The priority is doubly applied to the DTCH data.A PBR (Prioritized Bit Rate), which is a kind of minimum data rate maybe allocated to each DTCH, and lower priority DTCH data may be selectedin preference to higher priority DTCH data within the limits of the PBR.

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating an operation of the UE triggering anormal BSR. In FIG. 10, a UE operation related to the BSR isillustrated. General matters of the BSR follow the standard 36.321.

New data which can be transmitted to an RLC device or a PDCP device of alogical channel at a predetermined time point is generated in step 1005.The UE proceeds to step 1010 and inspects whether the S-MAC is set. TheUE proceeds to step 1015 when the S-MAC is not set, and proceeds to step1017 when the S-MAC is set.

The UE inspects whether the newly generated data meets [condition 2] instep 1015. The UE triggers the normal BSR in step 1020 when the datameets [condition 2], and waits until new data is generated in step 1025when the data does not meet [condition 2]. A logical channel group is aset of logical channels having similar priorities and BSR buffer statusare reported according to each logical channel group. A predeterminedlogical channel generally belongs to one logical channel group, but alogical channel, which does not require the buffer status report, maynot belong to the logical channel group.

[Condition 2]

-   -   The logical channel of the generated data belongs to the logical        channel group; and    -   The priority of the logical channel is higher than priorities of        all logical channels which meet a predetermined condition. A        logical channel having data, which can be transmitted, and        belonging to the logical channel group is the logical channel        meeting the predetermined condition.

The UE inspects whether the logical channel of the newly generated datais the S-MAC DRB in step 1017. The UE proceeds to step 1035 when thelogical channel is the S-MAC DRB, and proceeds to step 1030 when thelogical channel is not the S-MAC DRB.

The UE inspects whether the newly generated data meets [condition 3] instep 1030. The UE triggers the normal BSR in the P-MAC in step 1040 whenthe data meets [condition 3], and waits until new data is generated instep 1025 when the data does not meet [condition 3].

[Condition 3]

-   -   The logical channel of the generated data belongs to the logical        channel group; and    -   The priority of the logical channel is higher than priorities of        all logical channels which meet a predetermined condition. A        logical channel having data, which can be transmitted, belonging        to the logical channel group, and corresponds to the P-MAC DRB        or the SRB is the logical channel meeting the predetermined        condition.

The UE inspects whether the newly generated data meets [condition 4] instep 1035. The UE triggers the normal BSR in the S-MAC in step 1045 whenthe data meets [condition 4], and waits until new data is generated instep 1025 when the data does not meet [condition 4].

[Condition 4]

-   -   The logical channel of the generated data belongs to the logical        channel group; and    -   The priority of the logical channel is higher than priorities of        all logical channels which meet a predetermined condition. A        logical channel having data, which can be transmitted, belonging        to the logical channel group, and corresponds to the S-MAC DRB        is the logical channel meeting the predetermined condition.

Condition 4 above will be described with an example. Logical channelshown in Table 5 below are set to the UE.

TABLE 5 Logical Data which Logical channel can be S-MAC channel prioritytransmitted DRB group LCH 1 0 No No 0 LCH 2 1 YES No 0 LCH 4 2 No YES 1LCH 5 3 YES YES 2 LCH 6 4 YES YES No

For example, it is assumed that data, which can be transmitted to thePDCP device or RLC device of LCH 4, is newly generated. Since the datais generated in the S-MAC DRB, the UE considers only the S-MAC DRB.Since LCH 6 does not belong to the logical channel group, LCH 6 isexcluded from targets to be considered and the remaining LCHs such asLCH 4 and LCH 5 are considered. At this time, LCH 4 has no data, whichcan be transmitted, and LCH 5 has data, which can be transmitted, but apriority of LCH 5 is lower than a priority of LCH 4. Accordingly,condition 4 is met and thus the normal BSR is triggered in the S-MAC.

In contrast, when data, which can be transmitted to the PDCP device orRLC device of LCH 5, is newly generated, the UE considers only the LCHcorresponding to the S-MAC DRB and having data, which can betransmitted. Accordingly, the UE considers only LCH 5. Further, sinceLCH 5 has the data which can be transmitted, a priority of the logicalchannel of the newly generated data is equal to a priority of LCH 5 andcondition 4 is not met.

When the BSR is triggered in the P-MAC, the UE generates the BSR inconsideration of only data of the P-MAC DRB and the SRB, which can betransmitted, among the logical channels belonging to the logical channelgroup and transmits the generated BSR through the PCAG.

When the BSR is triggered in the S-MAC, the UE generates the BSR inconsideration of only data of the S-MAC DRB, which can be transmitted,among the logical channels belonging to the logical channel group andtransmits the generated BSR through the SCAG.

When the normal BSR is triggered in a state where the S-MAC is not set,the UE generates the BSR in consideration of data of all logicalchannels belonging to the logical channel group, which can betransmitted, and transmits the BSR through a predetermined serving cell.

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating an operation of the UE for transmittingthe normal BSR. More specifically, in FIG. 11, a UE operation when thenormal BSR is triggered is described in more detail.

When the normal BSR is triggered in step 1105, the UE proceeds to step1110 and inspects whether the S-MAC is set. The UE proceeds to step 1115when the S-MAC is not set, and proceeds to step 1120 when the S-MAC isset.

In step 1115, the UE inspects whether UL-SCH transmission resources canbe used for all of the currently set serving cells. The UE proceeds tostep 1130 when the transmission resources can be used, and proceeds tostep 1125 when the transmission resources cannot be used.

In step 1130, the UE attempts BSR transmission. When backwardtransmission using the UL-SCH transmission resources has not yetstarted, the BSR transmission is possible. However, when the backwardtransmission using the UL-SCH transmission resources has already startedor will start after a short time, the BSR transmission is not possible.The UE ends the process when the BSR transmission is successful, andwaits until the next TTI and returns to the previous step when the BSRtransmission attempt fails.

In step 1125, the UE inspects whether PUCCH transmission resources fortransmitting a scheduling request are set. The UE proceeds to step 1140when the PUCCH transmission resources are set, and proceeds to step 1135when the PUCCH transmission resources are not set.

In step 1135, the UE triggers random access in the PCell. In step 1140,the UE transmits the SR by using the PUCCH transmission resources. TheENB recognizes that the UE requires transmission resources through therandom access process or the SR transmission and, when the ENB allocatestransmission resources to the UE, the UE transmits the normal BSR.

In step 1120, the UE inspects whether the normal BSR is triggered in theP-MAC or the S-MAC. The UE proceeds to step 1145 when the normal BSR istriggered in the P-MAC, and proceeds to step 1165 when the normal BSR istriggered in the S-MAC.

In step 1145, the UE inspects whether UL-SCH transmission resources canbe used for PCAG serving cells. The UE proceeds to step 1130 when theUL-SCH transmission resources can be used, and proceeds to step 1150when the transmission resources cannot be used.

In step 1150, the UE inspects whether PUCCH transmission resources fortransmitting a scheduling request are set to the PCell. The UE proceedsto step 1160 when the PUCCH transmission resources are set, and proceedsto step 1155 when the PUCCH transmission resources are not set. In step1155, the UE triggers random access in the PCell. In step 1160, the UEtransmits the SR by using the PUCCH transmission resources of the PCell.The MeNB recognizes that the UE requires transmission resources throughthe random access process or the SR transmission and, when the MeNBallocates transmission resources to the UE, the UE transmits the normalBSR.

In step 1165, the UE inspects whether UL-SCH transmission resources canbe used for SCAG serving cells. The UE proceeds to step 1130 when theUL-SCH transmission resources can be used, and proceeds to step 1175when the transmission resources cannot be used. In step 1175, the UEinspects whether PUCCH transmission resources for transmitting ascheduling request are set to the SCAG serving cell (or SCell). The UEproceeds to step 1185 when the PUCCH transmission resources are set, andproceeds to step 1180 when the PUCCH transmission resources are not set.In step 1180, the UE triggers random access in the SCAG SCell. In step1185, the UE transmits the SR by using the PUCCH transmission resourcesof the SCAG SCell. The SeNB recognizes that the UE requires transmissionresources through the random access process or the SR transmission and,when the SeNB allocates transmission resources to the UE, the UEtransmits the normal BSR.

FIG. 12 is a view illustrating all operations of the UE.

In step 1205, the UE sets an RRC connection with a predetermined ENB fora predetermined reason. An RRC connection configuration process includesa process in which the UE transmits an RRC CONNECTION REQUEST message tothe ENB and the ENB transmits an RRC CONNECTION SETUP (or RRC CONNECTIONESTABLISHMENT) message. After the RRC connection is configured, the UEmay perform data transmission/reception with the LTE network through theENB.

During the RRC connection configuration process, the MAC is set to theUE. It may be understood that various functions, for example, BSR, PHR,and DRX are set to the UE in the MAC configuration. Thereafter, in step1210, the UE executes a single MAC operation set in connection with theset functions.

[Single MAC Operation Set]

-   -   An operation for determining whether to trigger a buffer status        report in consideration of data of all logical channels set to        the UE, which can be transmitted and the backward grant for all        serving cells, and transmitting the buffer status report. A        general UE operation for triggering the buffer status report and        transmitting the buffer status report is described in the        standard 36.321.    -   An operation for determining whether to trigger a PHR in        consideration of activated serving cells among all serving cells        set to the UE and the backward grant for all serving cells, and        transmitting the PHR A general UE operation for triggering the        PHR and transmitting the PHR is described in the standard        36.321.    -   include one onDurationTimer, one drx-InactivityTimer, one        drx-RetransmissionTimer, and one mac-ContentionResolutionTimer,        and manage the timer in consideration of downlink assignment        received from all serving cells set to the UE or the uplink        grant. While at least one of the timers is driven, PDCCHs of all        serving cells in an active state are monitored at a        corresponding time point. The content related to the timers is        described in the standard 36.321.

When an RRC connection reconfiguration message is received from the ENBin step 1215 while the single MAC operation set is executed, the UEinspects whether the S-MAC configuration is instructed by the RRCconnection reconfiguration message in step 1220. The UE proceeds to step1225 when the S-MAC configuration is instructed, and the UE proceeds tostep 1210 and continues to execute the single MAC operation set when theS-MAC configuration is not instructed.

In step 1225, the UE performs a P-MAC reconfiguration. The P-MACreconfiguration includes an operation for separating the S-MAC DRB andthe SCAG SCells from the existing MAC device, and an operation fordiscarding the PHR and the BSR, which have been generated but not yettransmitted and newly generating the PHR and the BSR. The reason fordiscarding the PHR and the BSR is that the content related to the SCAGSCell and the content related to the S-MAC DRB may be included in thePHR and the BSR generated before the P-MAC is reconfigured.

In step 1230, the UE configures the S-MAC. The S-MAC configurationincludes an operation for generating a new MAC device, activating theMAC device provided for the S-MAC, inputting, into a controller of theMAC device, BSR configuration information, PHR configurationinformation, and DRX configuration information included in S-MACconfiguration information, and connecting the S-MAC DRB and the SCAGSCell with the S-MAC. When the S-MAC configuration information is notprovided, the UE applies the current P-MAC configuration.

In step 1235, the UE executes a multi MAC operation set.

[S-MAC Operation Set of Multi MAC Operation Set]

-   -   An operation for determining whether to trigger a buffer status        report in consideration of data of the S-MAC DRB, which can be        transmitted, among logical channels set to the UE and the        backward grant for the SCAG SCell, and transmitting the buffer        status report.    -   An operation for determining whether to trigger a PHR in        consideration of activated serving cells among SCAG SCells set        to the UE and the backward grant for the SCAG SCells, and        transmitting the PHR.    -   include one onDurationTimer, one drx-InactivityTimer, one        drx-RetransmissionTimer, and one mac-ContentionResolutionTimer,        and manage the timer in consideration of downlink assignment        received from the SCAG SCells set to the UE or the uplink grant.        While at least one of the timers is driven, PDCCHs of the SCAG        SCells in an active state are monitored at a corresponding time        point.

[P-MAC Operation Set of Multi MAC Operation Set]

-   -   An operation for determining whether to trigger a buffer status        report in consideration of data, which can be transmitted, of        the remaining logical channels except for the S-MAC DRB among        logical channels set to the UE and the backward grant for the        PCAG serving cell, and transmitting the buffer status report.    -   An operation for determining whether to trigger a PHR in        consideration of activated serving cells among PCAG SCells set        to the UE and the backward grant for the PCAG SCells, and        transmitting the PHR.    -   include one onDurationTimer, one drx-InactivityTimer, one        drx-RetransmissionTimer, and one mac-ContentionResolutionTimer,        and manage the timer in consideration of downlink assignment        received from the PCAG serving cell set to the UE or the uplink        grant. While at least one of the timers is driven, PDCCHs of all        PCAG serving cells in an active state are monitored at a        corresponding time point.

When the UE receives an RRC connection reconfiguration message from theENB in step 1240 while executing the multi MAC operation set, the UEproceeds to step 1245 and inspects whether information instructing torelease the S-MAC is included in the RRC connection reconfigurationmessage. The UE proceeds to step 1250 when the information instructingto release the S-MAC is included in the RRC connection reconfigurationmessage, and proceeds to step 1235 and continues to execute the multiMAC operation set when the information instructing to release the S-MACis not included in the RRC connection reconfiguration message In step1250, the UE releases the S-MAC. In step 1255, the UE reconfigures theP-MAC to be a single MAC. That is, the UE connects the DRBs, which havebeen the S-MAC DRBs, with the P-MAC. Further, the UE returns to step1210 and executes the single MAC operation set.

Second Embodiment

In an LTE mobile communication, mobility of a connected UE is controlledby the ENB. Unless the eNB instructs a handover, the UE performs generaloperations in a current serving cell, for example, operations formonitoring the PDCCH and transmitting the PUCCH. When a radio linkstatus of the serving cell deteriorates and thus normal communication isnot possible due to unexpected errors before the ENB instructs the UE toperform the handover, the UE becomes deadlocked in the current servingcell. In order to prevent this, the UE monitors a channel status of thecurrent serving cell and, when a predetermined condition is met,declares a radio link failure and controls mobility of the UE by itself.

The radio link failure may be generated due to various factors. Forexample, when the random access fails or when transmission is notsuccessful even through the transmission is performed by a maximumnumber of RLC retransmissions, the radio link failure may be declared.As inter-ENB CA is introduced, direct application of the existing radiolink failure operation may reduce communication efficiency. The presentinvention proposes a more efficient radio link failure operation in aninter-ENB CA environment.

FIG. 13 illustrates operations of the UE when a number of transmissionsof predetermined RLC data of a predetermine DRB reaches a maximum numberof RLC retransmissions.

The RLC data reaching the maximum number of RLC retransmissions may meanthe same situation as that in which RETX_COUNT is maxRetxThreshold,which is described in the standard 36.322 in more detail.

When predetermined RLC data of a predetermined DRB reaches a maximumnumber of RLC retransmissions in step 1305, the UE inspects whether theDRB is the S-MAC DRB in step 1310. The UE proceeds to step 1315 when theDRB is not the S-MAC DRB (that is, when the DRB is an SRB or a DRBconnected to the P-MAC or a logical channel transmitted/received throughthe PCAG/MeNB), and proceeds to step 1345 when the DRB is the S-MAC DRB.

The UE proceeding to step 1315 means that a serious problem occurs inuplink transmission of the PCAG serving cell and thus the RRC connectionshould be reestablished. That is, it means that the radio link failureis generated. The UE releases all of the CQI configuration and the SRconfiguration set to the UE in step 1315. In other words, the UEreleases CQI transmission resources set to the PUCCH of the PCell andstops performing CQI transmission. When the CQI transmission resourcesare set to the PUCCH of the SCell, the UE also releases the PUCCHtransmission resources of the PCell and stops performing the CQItransmission.

In step 1320, the UE releases all SRS configurations set to the UE. Inother words, the UE releases all SRS configurations set to the PCAGserving cell and the SCAG serving cell and stops performing SRStransmission.

In step 1325, the UE releases all of the DRX of the P-MAC and the DRX ofthe S-MAC. In other words, the UE stops all of the DRX operations of theP-MAC and the DRX operations of the S-MAC (or stops all of the DRXoperations of the PCAG serving cell and the DRX operations of the SCAGserving cell).

In step 1330, the UE releases all SCells set to the UE, that is, theSCell of the PCAG and the SCell of the SCAG. Through the above process,backward transmission of the UE is fundamentally blocked and backwardinterference generated by the UE is prevented.

In step 1335, the UE initiates a cell selection process. The cellselection process is a process for searching for a cell, of whichintensity of a downlink signal is larger than or equal to apredetermined reference and in which the UE is accepted to attempt theRRC connection configuration, and selecting the found cell, which isdescribed in the standard 36.304 in detail. The UE generates and storesan rlf-report before and after the cell selection process is initiated.The rlf-report includes information related to the radio link failureand corresponds to, for example, an identification of a serving cell ata time point when the radio link failure is generated, a channel statusof the serving cell, channel statuses of neighboring cells, andinformation specifying a point where the radio link failure isgenerated.

When the next RRC connection, which is not the current RRC connection,is established or reestablished, the UE initiates a process fortransmitting the generated rlf-report in step 1343. For example, the UEreports the existence of the rlf-report to the ENB during the RRCconnection establishment of reestablishment process or after the RRCconnection is established and, when the ENB instructs transmission ofthe rlf-report, transmits the rlf-report.

In step 1345, the UE releases the CQI configuration and the SRconfiguration of the PUCCH SCell. That is, the UE releases the CQIconfiguration and the SR configuration set to the SCAG SCell and stopsCQI transmission and SR transmission. The CQI transmission and the SRtransmission set to the PCell PUCCH are maintained.

In step 1350, the UE releases the SRS set to the SCAG SCell and stopsSRS transmission. At this time, the UE maintains the SRS transmission ofthe PCAG SCell.

In step 1355, the UE releases the DRX of the S-MAC and stops the S-MACDRX operation. At this time, the UE maintains the DRX operation of theP-MAC.

In step 1360, the UE deactivates the SCAG SCell instead of releasing theSCAG SCell. This is to prevent a data loss in the future by releasingthe SCAG SCell according to an instruction of the ENB.

In step 1365, the UE generates an SCell failure report. The SCellfailure report includes information related to the SCell failure andcorresponds to, for example, a channel status of the PUCCH SCell at atime point when the SCell failure is generated, channel statuses ofother SCells, and information specifying a point where the SCell failureis generated.

In step 1370, the UE transmits the SCell failure report to the ENB byusing the current RRC connection through the PCAG serving cell.

The UE stops data transmission/reception of the DRB, which reaches themaximum number of RLC retransmissions at a predetermined time point, forexample, before step 1345 while performing the process.

FIG. 14 illustrates an operation of the UE when random access fails.

The random access failure is generated when the random access is notsucceeded even though the UE has transmitted preambles by apredetermined number of times. More specifically, whenPREAMBLE_TRANSMISSION_COUNTER becomes preambleTransMax+1, it isdetermined that the random access fails. PREAMBLE_TRANSMISSION_COUNTERand preambleTransMax are described in the standard 36.321.

When the random access fails in step 1405, the UE proceeds to step 1407and inspects whether the random access failure is generated in the PCellor the SCell. When a random access preamble of a predetermined randomaccess process is transmitted in the PCell, the random access process isperformed in the PCell. When the random access preamble is transmittedin the SCell, the random access process is performed in the SCell. TheUE proceeds to step 1412 when the random access failure corresponds tothe random access failure generated in the PCell, and proceeds to step1410 when the random access failure corresponds to the random accessfailure generated in the SCell.

In step 1412, the UE inspects whether another process is performed inthe PCell. The random access of the PCell may be performed together withan RRC connection establishment procedure, an RRC connectionreestablishment procedure, and a handover procedure. As described above,when the random access is performed together with another procedure,even though the random access failure is generated, the UE waits untilthe procedure is completed without immediately declaring the radio linkfailure. Whether the procedure is performed or not may be determinedwhether a timer T300, T301, T304, or T311 is driven. When one of thetimers is driven, the UE proceeds to step 1414 and waits until the timerexpires. When the timers are not driven, the UE proceeds to step 1415.The timers T300, T301, T304, and T311 are described in the standard36.331.

In step 1415, the UE stops transmitting the preamble. That is, the UEstops the random access process. Step 1417 is identical to step 1315.Step 1420 is identical to step 1320. Step 1425 is identical to step1325. Step 1430 is identical to step 1330. Step 1435 is identical tostep 1335. Step 1437 is identical to step 1340. Step 1439 is identicalto step 1343.

In step 1410, the UE inspects whether the SCell in which the randomaccess fails is the SCell belonging to the PCAG or the SCAG. When therandom access fails in the PCAG SCell, the UE proceeds to step 1440, andstops transmitting the preamble and ends the process. Since the randomaccess of the PCAG SCell is performed according to an instruction of theENB in order to establish backward transmission timing, if the randomaccess fails, the ENB recognizes the failure. Accordingly, although theUE does not perform a separate operation, the ENB may take proper steps.In contrast, in a case of the random access of the PCell or the randomaccess of the SCAG SCell, the UE can trigger the random access byitself. Accordingly, when the random access failure is generated, the UEtakes required steps by itself.

When the random access fails in the SCAG SCell, for example, a PUCCHSCell, the UE stops transmitting the preamble in step 1443 and proceedsto step 1445. Step 1445 is identical to step 1345. Step 1450 isidentical to step 1350. Step 1455 is identical to step 1355. Step 1460is identical to step 1360. Step 1465 is identical to step 1365. Step1470 is identical to step 1370.

FIG. 15 is a view illustrating a UE operation when a channel status ofthe serving cell remains in a level equal to or lower than apredetermined reference for a predetermined period or more. That is,FIG. 15 illustrates a UE operation when quality of the radio linkdeteriorates so that it is difficult to perform normal communication.

In step 1505, the UE detects that a channel status of a predeterminedserving cell meets a predetermined condition. The predetermined servingcell corresponds to the PCell or the PUCCH SCell, and it is determinedthat the predetermined condition is met when PDCCH quality of theserving cell remains in a level lower than a predetermined reference,for example, BLER 10% for a predetermined period. In step 1510, the UEinspects whether the serving cell in which such an event is generated,is the PCell or the PUCCH SCell. The UE proceeds to step 1515 when theserving cell is the PCell, and proceeds to step 1545 when the servingcell is the PUCCH SCell. Step 1515 is identical to step 1315. Step 1520is identical to step 1320. Step 1525 is identical to step 1325. Step1530 is identical to step 1330. Step 1535 is identical to step 1335.Step 1540 is identical to step 1340. Step 1543 is identical to step1343.

Step 1545 is identical to step 1345. Step 1550 is identical to step1350. Step 1555 is identical to step 1355. Step 1560 is identical tostep 1360. Step 1565 is identical to step 1365. Step 1570 is identicalto step 1440.

FIG. 16 is a view illustrating a UE apparatus.

The UE apparatus includes a P-MAC device 1620, a control messageprocessor 1635, various higher layer processors 1625, 1630, and 1640, acontroller 1610, an S-MAC device 1645, and a transceiver 1605.

The transceiver 1605 receives data and a predetermined control signalthrough a downlink channel of the serving cell and transmits data and apredetermined control signal through an uplink channel. When a pluralityof serving cells are set, the transceiver 1605 transmits and receivesdata and a control signal through the plurality of serving cells. Thetransceiver 1605 is connected to the P-MAC and the S-MAC through varioustransport channels.

The P-MAC device 1615 multiplexes data generated by the higher layerprocessors 1620 and 1625 or the control message processor 1630 orde-multiplexes data received by the transceiver 1605 to transfer thedata to the appropriate higher layer processors 1620 and 1625 or thecontrol message processor 1630. The P-MAC device 1615 controlsoperations of the BSR, PHR, and the DRX.

The control message processor 1630 is an RRC layer device, and performsa required operation by processing a control message received from theENB. For example, the control message processor 1630 receives an RRCcontrol message and transfers S-MAC configuration information to thecontroller.

The higher layer processors 1620, 1625, and 1640 may be configuredaccording to each service. The higher layer processors 1620, 1625, and1640 process data generated by a user service such as a FTP (FileTransfer Protocol) or a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) andtransfers the processed data to the P-MAC or the S-MAC, or processesdata transferred from the P-MAC or the S-MAC and transfers the processeddata to a higher layer service application.

The controller 1610 identifies a scheduling command received through thetransceiver 1605, for example, backward grants, and controls thetransceiver 1605 and a multiplexing and demultiplexing unit 1615 toperform backward transmission through suitable transmission resources atan appropriate time point. The controller 1610 reconfigures the P-MAC,configures/releases (or activates/deactivates) the S-MAC, controlsmapping between the P-MAC and the logical channel, controls mappingbetween the S-MAC and the logical channel, controls mapping between theP-MAC and the DL/UL-SCH, and controls mapping between the S-MAC and theDL/UL-SCH. The controller 1610 performs all operations related to theradio link failure or SCell failure.

FIG. 17 is a view illustrating an ENB apparatus.

The ENB apparatus includes a transceiver 1705, a controller 1710, an MACdevice 1720, a control message processor 1735, various higher layerprocessors 1725 and 1730, and a scheduler 1715.

The transceiver 1705 transmits data and a predetermined control signalthrough a forward carrier and receives data and a predetermined controlsignal through a backward carrier. When a plurality of carriers are set,the transceiver 1705 transmits and receives data and a control signalthrough the plurality of carriers.

The MAC device 1720 multiplexes data generated by the higher layerprocessors 1725 and 1730 or the control message processor 1735 orde-multiplexes data received by the transceiver 1705 to transfer thedata to the appropriate higher layer processors 1725 and 1730, thecontrol message processor 1735, or the controller 1710. The controlmessage processor 1735 performs a required operation by processing acontrol message transmitted by the UE, or generates a control message tobe transferred to the UE and transfers the generated control message toa lower layer.

The scheduler 1715 allocates transmission resources to the UE at asuitable time point in consideration of a buffer status or a channelstatus of the UE, and processes a signal transmitted to the transceiver1705 by the UE or makes a control to transmit a signal to the UE.

The controller 1710 controls operations, which the ENB should perform,among the operations described in FIGS. 7 to 15.

1.-22. (canceled)
 23. A method by a terminal in a communication system,the method comprising: receiving, from a master base station, a firstmessage including first configuration information for a first cell groupassociated with the master base station, wherein the first configurationinformation for the first cell group includes configuration informationfor a first medium access control (MAC); configuring a first MAC entityfor the first cell group based on the configuration information for thefirst MAC; receiving, from the master base station, a second messageincluding second configuration information for a secondary cell groupassociated with a secondary base station, wherein the secondconfiguration information for the secondary cell group includesconfiguration information for a second MAC; and configuring a second MACentity for the secondary cell group based on the configurationinformation for the second MAC.